I think my emac has died. When. I switch it on i get a blue screen with a sign in to apple but the mouse does not work. the only way I can switch it off is by the main wall socket. It is a 2003 running ox10.4
guess its time to bite the bullet and buy a new machine. What to go for? Do new macs not have dvd drives any more?
The only Mac that still has a DVD drive is this entry-level MacBook Pro:
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/macbook-pro?product=MD101LL/A&step=config
It is a very nice unit. Apple apparetnly thinks everyone in the world should be sharing their videos via the Cloud. Meh
Apple sells a compact external DVD drive if you buy a Mac model that does not have an internal drvie:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD564ZM/A/apple-usb-superdrive?fnode=5f
Back to the eMac...does the keyboard work? If so, you probably have a dead mouse (the wires fail with age) and you can pick up ANY cheap USB mouse regardless of brand and have full function again.
Thanks for your reply.
The emac light comes on. Umpteen times today I tried to get it to switch on. Sometimes just getting a grey screen with the apple logo. Finally got it to boot up. Then five minutes after opening the apple store page in Safari, the light on the mouse went out and everything froze. Tried using another mouse without success. Pressing the off button on the side of the emac did not work either. Only way I could get it to close was pulling the plug in the wall socket.
Guess I will have to go and look at PCs.
Still not sure if i really need a computer at all now i am retired. I seem to do most things on the i pad.
Nan
Hi Nan,
Not easy to do, but have you blown the dust oit of the eMac lately?
I'd like to figure this out if you can bear with me. I'm retired too so have time to research Mac stuff when I'm not taking a power nap!
There are two families of eMacs with two variants each; some have known issues. If you are up to it, please read this Apple article that lets you find your exact eMac variant by serial number:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2395
Without posting your serial number here, post what model the article says you have.
If the model returns as "eMac (USB 2.0)" that is a group with very bad logic board issues. Affected eMac USB 2.0 units tend to fall in these ranges of serial numbers:
Your symptoms sound like it could be this model. Apple had a repair extension program to replace defective logic boards but it expired over two years ago. Today, the fix is not economically feasible.
Guess I will have to go and look at PCs.
Consider the 13-inch MacBook Pro I linked. I had a 15-incher that I bough about six years ago because I did not think anything smaller would work for my old eyeballs. However, in June I bought the 13-inch as a refurb directly from Apple for only about US$1000 and, as long as I remember to put on my computer glasses, I have no trouble with the smaller screen.
Based of the lack of issues with that model reported in the MacBook Pro forums, it seems a reliable model. My son bought one for university as a refurb. I liked it a lot so bought mine in June. A friend who had been using 1998-vintage Powerbooks until this year liked mine so much that he bought two. You can use them like a desktop computer. When I'm not using mine away for home, I have a wireless keyboard and mouse set up for it so it's very much like a desktop until until I hit the road.
Im in the UK. So even a recon mac direct from Apple retails at around £1000.
My serial number starts with vm44 and the last three digits are OTB which is not on the list.
I vacuum the holes at the back every week, but I guess there is bound to be lots of dust inside.
I have a power book bought the same year as my e mac. It did not like being updated to Tiger. It still works but the battery does not hold a charge so,it has to be plugged in all the time.
I am wondering if the problem is damp. We have had weeks of constant rain and there is no heat in the room that the emac sits in.
It switches on. Makes the apple start up noise, then shows a white screen with the apple logo. Then the screen turns blue and then nothing happens and it is impossible to turn off other than by pulling the plug at the electric supply.
The DBD drive used to play DVDs and CDs but will not burn discs for a couple of years now.
My son bought the mac book pro two years ago and his DVD drive no longer works either.
The last time I had the emac serviced the engineer said he would not work on it again and as I didnt do any actual work on it he suggested I just use it until it died. perhaps that day has come. Sad, because antique though it is, i loved that mac.
Nan
My serial number starts with vm44
If its first five characters are between VM440 and VM516, it is among those with the logic board problems. The typical problem is capacitors. A number of computer manufacturers in addition to Apple bought capacitors from the same firm. Most were bad, leaking and causing a variety of failures. Programs set up to help users with affected machines have long since expired. So I doubt the damp was an issue in this case, but cool weather and extreme humidity are bad for electronics. Any condensation can lead to a fault.
The usual cure for eMacs with the affected logic boards was a new logic board. However, without the protection of a service program, the cost of repair today could buy you another nicely appointed iPad. Also, so many working logic boards for that model went to service affected models that they are hard to find.
A place in Oregon USA had a service where they took the bad logic boards, reflowed new capacitors and other affected parts and returned your board in working condition. This was great because the charge roughly a fourth of the cost of a logic board replacement. Sadly, they have closed their doors; too good a deal, I suppose.
I have heard that consumer protection laws in the UK are different from my side of the Pond. Some devices are considered warrantable for so many years regardless of what the manufacturer says. Does any of that help you?
I'll check back later today. In spite of an unusually foggy day for our normally dry part of the NW ex-colonies, I have a "hankering" for a walk. Had knee replacement surgery three months ago and I have to keep the new hardware moving! Getting old is not for the faint of heart!
I can't find an ending sequence of OTB either
Thanks Allan,
My first windows PC lasted three years and was always getting viruses, which is why i went for the emac. it has served me well for the past ten years.
Hope you enjoyed your walk on your bionic knees. Mine are creaking at the moment with all the constant rain we have had for weeks.
As soon as I can manage to get to the mainland i will go,and talk to the guys in the apple store.
Thanks again,
Nan
My emac is in hospital getting fixed up. i thought it was terminal but turns out that all it needs is a new memory card.
£60 repair better than £1000+ for a new machine.
Nan
The other thing that makes noise inside there
may be the hard disk drive due do wear & age.
My iMac G3 and a few short-lived eMac G4s
were varying degrees of quiet -- or fan noise.
That's what I liked the most w/ my iMacDV400.
The eMac reminded me of some nose-cone
for a launch vehicle of some type. Compared
to the fanless early iMac, was almost a rocket.
Glad to hear the device has an extended stay.
Good luck & happy computing! 🙂
Do new macs not have a dvd drive
